Bio: Jennifer Redmile grew up on the beautiful northern beaches of Sydney NSW, and now lives in Geraldton WA with her husband, 23yo son and two gorgeous puppy dogs. She has always been an avid fantasy fiction reader, and always worked with children, so when she decided to write a novel, it was a natural progression to combine the two and make it a children’s fantasy novel. In 1997 she wrote a children’s musical, entitled Beyond the Stars, for the local Catholic primary school, with a cast of over 300. Jennifer recently completed Book 2 in The Children of When series, Valleron, which is awaiting publication, and is currently working on the 3rd book in the series, Dragardia. Email address: jen.redmile@gmail.comFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/jen.redmile.1Twitter: @JenRedmileWebsite: http://www.jenniferredmile.net (under construction)

Your first book, The Children of When: Book 1Florisia will be out soon from JEA, how do you feel about having it out there and getting read? I am so excited about the release of my first book in The Children of When series, although I don’t think I’ll really believe it until it happens. Writing can be a very lonely business, and it’s sometimes difficult to maintain the motivation to keep writing when you don’t know if others will enjoy reading what you’ve written. I guess what all authors are searching for is the validation that what they write is entertaining, engaging and ‘un-put-down-able’. Can you tell us a bit about what inspired The Children of When series and the plot? I’ve been asked this question quite a few times, and I’ve yet to come up with an answer that explains it. I wanted to write about kids, preferably in a fantasy setting, and the idea just came to me out of the blue. I had just retired from full-time work and suddenly found myself with way too much free time on my hands. So what better way to fill the void than to be able to disappear into another world for hours at a time, in the company of characters created by my own imagination. Children of When is YA fantasy, is it difficult writing for younger readers? What are the advantages of writing YA? Challenges?Writing for young readers is like fishing, and having to bait the hook with extra juicy worms. Most teens have a relatively short attention span, and reading for enjoyment has to compete with so many other activities that provide instant gratification.I believe the most difficult and important part of writing for younger readers is creating characters they can relate to, and giving these characters challenges that prove any obstacle can be overcome through perseverance.I prefer writing for younger readers, as I believe they are still seeking role models that exemplify the person they want to become. I try to imbue my characters with both good and bad qualities, portraying them as real and flawed, and allowing them to sometimes make poor choices in difficult situations. Who are your favorite characters in the series? What makes them stand out for you?When I first started writing The Children of When, I had intended the main character to be Leah, with Raff and Belle playing less important roles. It didn’t take long for Raff and Belle to convince me that they were every bit as important as Leah to the story, and the three characters ended up sharing the role of the protagonist.I must admit I do have a favourite though (but you have to promise not to tell the other two, they would be so jealous). There’s just something about Raff I can’t resist. He’s so funny, tough and yet vulnerable, and caring that he’s managed to worm his way into my heart, much like he does with most of the other characters in the book. You know, sort of like the naughty kid with lots of other redeeming qualities. What do you feel Children of When adds to YA fiction? Who do you hope will enjoy it? While I wrote this book with an intended audience of kids. I hope it will be enjoyed by an audience of all ages. I remember when my son brought the first Harry Potter book home from school, and thinking I wouldn’t mind reading it myself. That was the start of my relationship with Middle Grade/ Young Adult books, and it has continued throughout the last 15 or so years. I find the lack of profanity, gore and sexually explicit scenes refreshing, providing the desired escapism from the harsh realities of life in the real world.Do you think you might try other genres and reader groups?I’ve always been a fan of murder mystery books, and since reading the first book of my writing buddy Alison Clifford, entitled Roses, I now make the time to read and enjoy other books in this genre. Unfortunately. I’ve never been able to stomach horror, but my friends and colleagues at JEA are working on desensitizing me so I can read and enjoy their writing.What other projects do you have going? When do you think we’ll see them?Well, first of all, the 2nd book in The Children of When series is already finished and awaiting publication, so hopefully if you enjoyed Book 1 the wait shouldn’t be too long. I am currently writing Book 3, and won’t really know if there’ll be a Book 4 until this one is done. Funnily enough, my 2nd series, entitled What Ghost? is a far cry from the fantasy world of When. The story is set in the real world, in a boarding school for high school students, and tells the story of how 15yo Billy copes with the constant presence of the ghost of his twin-sister who died at birth. Book 1 in this series is finished, and also awaiting publication.While I enjoyed having the setting for this series in the real world, I missed writing about the fantasy element and all that entailed. So…I decided to make my 3rd series an “Urban Fantasy”. Entitled Morwitch, it’s the story of an almost 18yo witch who accidentally attracts the attention of an almost 18yo dragon; a chance meeting that sets the wheels in motion for them to become bonded as witch and familiar, a union outlawed in both the witch and dragon realms and punishable by death. On the run from bounty hunters, they uncover a sinister plot to destroy the mortal world, and must race against time to prevent catastrophe.

You also edit and format for JEA , how do you feel about this other side of writing? Any favorite books you’ve worked on thus far?I really enjoy the editing side of writing, as it gives me an opportunity to learn and explore the impact of a writer’s unique language and writing style on a story. I have found that effective editing requires a whole new approach to reading. It’s sometimes difficult to decide whether to suggest changes to phrases that are ‘technically’ incorrect, at the risk of stifling both readability and the author’s voice. But in the end, it’s about helping the author to produce their best possible work, without stifling their own unique creativity.I also find editing and formatting are a great distraction when I need a break from my own writing, as they keep me involved in the writing process while allowing my creative energy to recuperate.I have worked on some great books over the last few months, but I have to admit I have a soft spot for Kat Doughty’s books. Her first book, To the Dark, was released recently, and Book 1 in the next series, The First Singers, is currently in the process of being published. As both are YA fantasy, they had a head start before I even began, but she has a great writing style, engaging characters and exciting story lines. I wish her every success with her books.

BIO: G. W. Renshaw has led a varied life: Soldier, forest ranger, retail slave, computer programmer, medieval recreationist, spelunker, mountain climber, security specialist, search and rescue manager, actor, martial arts instructor, film and TV writer, and novelist.He lives in Calgary, Alberta with his lovely wife, a young padawan, and the twin cats Romulus and Remus.Remus teaches part-time at the University of Calgary Veterinary School as a professional cat.

Tell us a bit about the Chandler Affairs, where did the idea come from? How long have you been working on it?The Chandler Affairs is a series covering the stories of Canadianprivate investigator Veronica Chandler. When people ask what genre thebooks belong to, I usually say "mystery," but the overall story is muchmore complex than that. There are mysteries to be solved, but the casesalso reveal pieces of a bigger puzzle. A MUCH bigger puzzle.

The original idea came from meeting author Anthony Bidulka a few yearsago. His books about a Saskatchewsan private investigator made me toywith the idea of writing my own Canadian mysteries. Why Canadian?Because New York, Chicago, London, and Los Angeles have been done todeath. I also wanted my PI to be a woman, because there aren't enough ofthose either.

In Alberta you can get your PI's license just by taking theinvestigator's course and writing the provincial licensing exam at theminimum age of 18. That opened the field to an believable young PI. Notan amateur like the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew, but an actual licensedinvestigator. For inspiration I used one of my aikido students, whom Iconstantly interrogated about being a teenage girl.

At first I wrote the cases as short stories, but it didn't take long torealize that Veronica's universe is much bigger than that. It became atwelve novel story arc.

Book one *The Stable Vices Affair* introduces us to Veronica Chandler, tell us a bit about her, what are some of your favorite aspects about here as a character/ What makes me different?

Veronica has two aspects that are my favourites. The first is that she'sa normal Canadian girl, which means that when the going gets weird shedoesn't pull out her wizard powers, an ancient amulet, or call somesuperhero team. She just has to learn how to cope.

The other is her balance. She learned Krav Maga from a former member ofthe Israeli special forces, and tactical baton from her mother, but sheisn't another Black Widow clone. Not everything can be solved by hittingit. She has some real vulnerabilities. She's a voracious reader, whichgives her more information than you might expect from someone her age,but that information doesn't necessarily translate directly into real life.

She has help, of course. Her best friend is a Wiccan Romantigoth (thinkMorticia Addams) who tries to advise her on occult matters. Her motheris a homicide detective, which isn't as handy as you'd think because theusual "hey Fred, can you run this plate for me?" stuff on TV is illegalin real life.

Her father is a chef and taught her to cook. He wants her to take overhis restaurant when he retires, but Veronica wants to be a PI so she canhelp the people who aren't the victims of a crime. She expects thatshe'll be finding runaways, taking pictures of cheating spouses -- theusual PI stuff. That doesn't work out quite the way she hoped.

What does Veronica tackle in *The Stable Vices Affair*?A woman thinks her husband might be cheating on her. A man thinks hisboyfriend might be cheating on him. All she has to do is follow them,find the truth, and get paid.

What she finds will haunt her for a long time. Both subjects lead her tothe same house. There's a Hobbit-sized person (or persons) who might bemale or female -- or both. It's confusing. Then there's vanishingfurniture, ridiculously impossible coins, a worldwide secretorganization, and a kink club pony show.

She eventually gets answers of a sort, but the rabbit hole goes a lotdeeper before she find out the complete truth.Tell us about her world. How does it differ from our own and make things interesting? Could you live there?Hmm, that's a bit tricky. Think of her world as being something like theNorse cosmology, but completely different. I know, that's really helpful.

Both of us live in Calgary, Alberta, and physically the two worlds arevery similar. I occasionally lie about things like people's addresses,but apart from that the landmarks are all there. In her world somethinghas taken place that leads to Odd Things Happening. As far as I know myCalgary isn't like that. Mostly.

Could I live there? Certainly. But then I know a whole bunch of spoilersthat I can't share yet.How would you classify the series? Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Bizarro?This has been an ongoing problem, because it doesn't fit into neatbookstore shelf categories.For convenience, I call it mystery. But she's also a chef, and therewill eventually be a cookbook of her recipes.

One word I do like is paranormal, in the strict sense of "beyondnormal." Anything that people assumed beyond that may or may not beaccurate. What I do guarantee is that it will all make sense in the end.

Okay, call it "paranormal mystery."

What other projects can we expect to see form you in the future?That depends on how long I live.

After I've finished The Chandler Affairs I'll probably do the Lovecraftsteampunk novel because it'll be completely different.

There's also a bunch of novels involving Dr. Trinity MacMillan, who hasher own life as well as being Veronica's psychologist.

I also have a feature film script that needs a home, and a hard SF novelthat's already outlined.

Bio: Alice lives and works in the North East of England where she lives with her partner and slightly ferocious cats! She writes all manner of fiction with a tendency to lean towards the dark side, but she also likes to challenge herself and write out of her genre too. Dreams and sleep-talking are currently a big source of inspiration and her debut novel, The Doors, is a young adult novel which originally sprouted from a dream several years ago and grew from there.

The Doors actually began as a dream! I remember dreaming about these big double doors that haunted me and as the day went on, I couldn't shake it, so I decided to write about it. When I first wrote it that day it was only eleven pages long!

This one is definitely atmospheric and focused. Was it difficult building all of the nuances and elements into the full book?

This was my first full length work and it was difficult in that way to be able to bring all of the elements together in the book. It took several rounds of edits, first by myself and then with the editor, to be able to get the atmosphere just right and remember all of the little details. It has left me with a lot of knowledge and experience for my next novels.

What made you choose doors as the source of the goings on here?

The doors were the focal point in my dream and there was something about them that I was drawn to myself. I couldn't help but think about them, wonder what was behind the doors, what they hid. For me, it was always about the doors and the secret they held.

Tell us about Amanda, what do you like about her and what do you think makes her the right person to be in this setting?

I think Amanda is a young girl who has to deal with all of the normal teenage stuff on top of moving down the country and she does it well, despite her initial outburst at her parents. She is down to earth but not afraid to explore what is going on. She has a lot of curiosity as well as a lot of compassion. If she didn't, she never would have investigated the noise coming from the dining room or possibly never even heard it. She had just the right amount of stubbornness to keep at it.

It also tackles first love and the intensity of that. Would you say this is also a bit of a gothic?

Yes, I suppose it would be. The novel is quite dark and although the main focus is the story of the doors and the secret it holds, Malcolm has always had a strong allure for her too and without him, and Arthur, of course, she could never have figured out the mystery of the doors. There is certainly a lot of mystery in this novel and the building itself, Godfrey Hall, provides the perfect dark atmosphere.

Did you always know this book would be YA horror? Did it ever ride the line between?

No, I didn't. When it first came to light as a short story, it was more of a mystery. Amanda had a curiosity that she had to satiate but there were no horror elements and certainly no love interest either. As the book grew and the darkness increased, it became clear then that there was an element of horror. The Doors expanded and kind of grew into what it was meant to be, with subtle genres of horror and romance and strongly following the mystery and supernatural veins too.

You also have a story in Undead Legacy, can you tell us a bit about it and how it came about?

Yes, I have a story published in Undead Legacy. Dealing in Death focuses on a new drug that surfaces on the market, promising to give the best buzz someone could hope for but instead, it starts the end of the world.

I've always had an interest in the morbid, the dark, and, of course, zombies. Who doesn't?! So when this call came up I knew I had to write for it. The story came quite easily for me and it was a fun one to write. I think it came from my experiences of work where I work with a lot of different substances on a daily basis that always leave me wondering what reactions a person would have to them. People are always looking for the next high and they thought this was it.

What other projects are you working on and when might we see them in the future? Will you try other genres?

I'm currently working on editing a couple of horror novels. One I just submitted for publication (fingers crossed) and the other I'm around a third of the way through with the first edit. I plan to make this one into a trilogy and will sub the first one when I'm halfway through writing the second.

I also have a lot of other plans in the works for novel series that I have yet to set in concrete, they're still forming in my mind!

I do write in other genres sometimes, when the mood takes me. Mostly I enjoy the dark, supernatural and horror but I also dabble in romance at times!

BIO: Toneye Eyenot writes dark and often disturbing stories and poetry, predominantly in the Horror vein, and sometimes with elements of Occult and Dark Fantasy. He lurks in the Blue Mountains of Australia and spends most of his time either writing, jamming with his bands, or dreaming up more demented tales to be unleashed upon the world at large.

Your first book, The Scarlet Curse just came out a few months ago, how does it feel? Tell us a bit about it.

Toneye: It feels surreal. It was a long process from submitting it to JEA, to holding the actual book in my hands, and an even longer journey from the day eye first put pen to paper (Eye initially wrote The Scarlett Curse for the most part, the “oldskool” way haha). Eye have several shorts, flash and poetry published in various antho’s, which is a good feeling, but to have my own work with my name on the cover is still a little unbelievable. There were periods in the time it took for me to write T.S.C. that eye thought eye would never get around to finishing it. It was kind of like a lifelong dream that kept dropping off into the nightmare realm haha.How did the idea come about for it? How long did it take to write? Was it darker than you had expected?

﻿Toneye:﻿Eye have had a few friends tell me over the years, “You should write a book”. It has always been a goal of mine to someday write a book, but eye never really got the inspiration or motivation to do it. It just floated around for years in my ‘that would be a good idea’ compartment. Eye have been writing lyrics though, for the past 25 years, and eye write 99% of those lyrics in a poetic, rhyming kind of way. Eye had been “friends” for a long time on fb with someone named Scarlett, but we had never interacted or become acquainted. Eye saw a short poem of hers in my newsfeed, liked it and left a comment. We got to talking and she read my lyrics that eye had in my notes. Scarlett asked me the age old question, “why haven’t you written a book?” but she also began talking about ideas, and eye began to get excited about doing it. Eye took a song eye wrote for my band, Chaotic Impurity. The Sacred Blade Of Profanity became the theme that the story was loosely based around. Eye then asked her if eye could name the main character after her, to which she happily agreed and The Scarlett Curse was conjured up. As far as T.S.C. being darker than eye expected; eye feel that eye held back some. Don’t get me wrong. It is dark. There are a few gruesome scenes, and the overall feeling of the story is certainly dark and exceedingly dismal. The only happy moments are when Dera is interacting with her friends unseen, who have come to her through the Mirror. The rest of the time, especially for Scarlett, is a constant struggle, as The Sacred Blade Of Profanity begins to become ‘unstable’. Book 2, Joshua’s Folly is ten times darker. Much more violent and “Profane”.What is the Sacred Blade of Profanity? What does it require those possessed by it to do? What does it give in return?Toneye: The Blade, The Blade Of Power, The Sacred Blade… The Sacred Blade Of Profanity has a few ‘nicknames’. It was created 8,000 years ago by a lineage of Sorcerers known as the Kirlt’th lineage, who went to war against a rival faction known as the Harrilluin. The Harrilluin created The Mirror in response to The Blade; to defend against the Kirlt’th, and keep The Blade Of Power in check. Throughout its existence, The Sacred Blade has passed through many hands, and Scarlett has carried it for nearly 300 years. Whoever possesses The Sacred Blade Of Profanity is untouched by the cruelty of time, and mostly unhindered by the confines of space. In order to retain this Power, The Blade must feed, but only on the blood of those who have forfeited their right to life. The profane and despicable, who would never seek rehabilitation or atonement. Every 100 years, The Ritual Of Cleansing must be performed, where the Host (in this case, Scarlett) makes a small cut on the palm of the hand, and then enters into a battle of wills with The Blade Of Power. The blood of the Host is like a drug to The Blade, sweeter than any other blood. If it were to feed on the Host exclusively, the host would inevitably die, and The Blade would be left to fend for itself. This is held unknown as yet, but potentially catastrophic results for the entire ‘agreed upon’ Time and Space, throwing both into a chaotic mayhem. That time is imminent and The Sacred Blade is beginning to be erratic. Scarlett is starting to lose control over the whims of The Blade. It has a voice, but it speaks within, so only the chosen target hears what it has to say. It has a sick charm and is very manipulative and persuasive. The scene in the cottage, where the darkness washes over Dera like a wave of putrid blood, is a perfect example of the insidious, vampiric nature of The Sacred Blade Of Profanity. Sorry… Eye got to rambling. hahaha

Who was your favorite character in The Scarlet Curse and why? Favorite scene?

Toneye: Dera is my favourite character. She has a strong spirit and powerful teachers. Her adventures in book 3 are going to be legendary in the world eye am creating there. Her only spoken words are in The Scarlett Curse. She still has internal conversations with The Prii (her friends and teachers from The Mirror), but they communicate to Dera with colour and musical sounds. Dera goes through an absolutely Hellish time in T.S.C., with the death of her mother, and The Sacred Blade trying to convince Scarlett to kill her, when they escape into the forest. My favourite scene is where the insidious Blade Of Power first speaks to Dera… “Chiiiild” and convinces her to kill Phenoluh, after she hears her child speak for the first time in her life. That whole scene eye think is among the darkest and most brutal things eye have written. The cries of Dera mingled with hysterical laughter bit was pretty disturbing to write. Eye think that’s my favourite scene. The second book, Joshua's Folly, is also on the way, when is it set? What might we find in this chapter of the Sacred Blade of Profanity? Toneye: Joshua’s Folly is a prequel, covering events in the week leading to the scene in the Mills Wall marketplace. You learn a little more about the history surrounding The Blade and Mirror. The sorceress who appears at the end of T.S.C., Astra Kirltth, is always watching Scarlett and The Blade, and makes several table turning appearances throughout the story, though she remains shrouded in mystery. There is a chapter where we learn a little of Astra’s history with the Kirlt’th lineage. Joshua spends the entire time, fluking his way just out of Scarlett’s reach. He also has a problem; he’s losing all his kids, and Jahl-Rin is not going to be happy. Jahl-Rin is the most evil man eye could conjure. The chief of a growing army of bandits, he’s a cannibal, child-trafficker, kidnapper, murderer, rapist. Jahl-Rin runs amok through Joshua’s Folly and has plans on taking over a town across the Lake of Solace, south of Mills Wall and on the other side of Mellowood Forest. There is also a mysterious coachman, Tummel. He is an enigmatic, cheerful fellow who has motives for helping Joshua that are unknown to anyone but Tummel. Eye like this guy. There is a helluva lot more to him than meets the eye. Then there’s 19 yr old Marnard (or Marnaaard, as Jahl-Rin likes to address him). A farmhand who witnessed his parents’ death at the hands of Jahl-Rin, is taken as the bandit chief’s ‘pet’. He is growing into one of my favourite characters. He’s a smart, resourceful, strong kid, and he’s a survivor.You've also taken part in several anthos, some published, like Rejected for Content:Splattergore and Rejected for Content: Aberrant Menagerie, and others yet to come. What will we find in your anthology submissions? Which one(s) was your favorite to write? Favorite antho theme?Toneye: Eye love the Rejected For Content series! In the first 2 books, eye have several poems. They were a part of my catalogue of lyrics that eye have written over the years, and eye used those to submit to the first RFC, which introduced me to the JEA family and the writing world at large. Eye am looking forward to RFC3. Eye have a short story in that one, as well as a demented little poem. The RFC series is symbolic to me as my beginnings in the published world. Eye have a couple of short stories and a few poems in the upcoming Doorway To Death antho. Splat 2 will have my most disgusting story to date. ‘What Are Turds Worth?’ is about a nine year old boy who has had a lifelong shit fetish, after a toilet accident as an infant with his drunk father. That’s all eye will say about that one hahaha.Your love of the darkest written word also led you to both music and poetry, where can we find your music and poems? What sort of songs and poems do you write? Care to show us a small sample? Toneye: Sure! Eye wrote this ‘poem’ for one of my bands, Crazed Death Metal band, Chaotic Impurity. THE DARK STANDS ALOOFChallenge your reason by means of a season,Of pleasing your soul as you relinquish control.The darkness waits patiently, silently, formless; Devoid of all light… An infinite midnight.The darkness is soothing and moving you far,From the life you have left. You begin to forget.So deep is the sleep and immense is the leap,To get back here somehow,But where is here and when is now? Thoughts and senses are barely your own,The mind snaps under psychic attack.You’re swallowed, engulfed in a nightmare ofInfinite black.Concealing your feelings, the dark leaves you reeling.It’s peeling away at your lifelong decay.Intrusion? Confusion! The Dark stands aloof,As you try to reclaim what you thought you could name.Anger, Love, Fear. They have no credence here.Tho they were part of you, everything here is new.As you dwell in your wonder, your life torn asunder.You’re Home; you don’t want to go back.You’re happy right here in your fortress of infinite black.Toneye Eyenot Chaotic Impurity are working on a live desk recording from our last gig. Aside from that, we have never released anything over our 14 year history. It’s the curse of Chaotic Impurity hahaha. We do have a facebook page, and some live antics on youtube to check out. Another band eye am in, Infinite Black have two recordings released and available on Bandcamp. We’re also on facebook and on youtube. Then there’s my punk outfit, where eye get to pretend to be a bass player, Rock n Roll Detectives. We have 2 songs on Triple J Unearthed, plus we’re on facebook and have a stack of vids on youtube. Chaotic Impurity is the only band in which eye am the sole writer. Snr. Detective writes the lyrics for RnRD, and Infinite Black is a collaborate effort. C.I. is where the bulk of my song writing came from. Here’s where you can find my music…RnRD: https://www.triplejunearthed.com/artist/rock-n-roll-detectivesandhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Rock-n-Roll-Detectives/786073428076319?fref=tsInfiniteBlack: http://infiniteblack616.bandcamp.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Infinite-Black/234313873248790Chaotic Impurity: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chaotic-Impurity/176956532324131What bands have you worked with over the years? How long have you been involved in the music scene?

Toneye: The three bands mentioned above have been my stable over the last 14 years. Eye joined Chaotic Impurity in 2001, after the drummer, Dark Legion, heard a demo from a band eye was in way back in ‘88. Eye was only 18 at the time. Infinite Black was around in the 90’s, before eye knew any of them. They were born out of the original Chaotic Impurity. Both bands went into long hibernation. About 7 years ago (eye think?), The Unnamed, guitarist and founder of C.I., brought Infinite Black back from the grave, so eye ended up singing in both. The Unnamed (aka Snr. Detective) is an old punk at heart. He loves all the old 70’s English punk stuff. He was jamming the songs with Desert Storms, the Infinite Black drummer. Confused yet? Haha. Anyway, that was around 2 years ago now and they asked me if eye wanted to try playing bass, so eye did. It’s a running joke when RnRD have played live, that eye am out of tune or keep asking at the beginning of most songs “how does it start?” hahaha.Nomenclature Diablerie is the name of the band eye was in in ’88, and although eye didn’t write a word of lyrics for it, it became my inspiration to start writing my own lyrics. How do writing fiction and writing for music compare? How about the process of completion and releasing the finished product? Do you find one easier than the other or just different? Toneye: Writing fiction is a lot more challenging, and a lot more rewarding. Eye love watching a story form and grow. When the story starts to tell itself, and eye am just along for the ride. Eye also love the challenge of fitting an entire story into the several lines of a poem, or song. The process of getting a book to the finished product is a slow agonising one. The amount of times eye would get it back during edits and formats, only to find more mistakes eye had overlooked previously, it was starting to do my head in hahaha! The relief was massive when the book was released, and when my copies arrived in the mail, and eye pulled one out of the box, eye had to go make a coffee and sit down to read it. Even though at this point, eye have read the damn thing 723,008 times haha. It was a very satisfying moment.Networking is a very important part of both businesses, do you think it's benefited you over the years? In what ways? Toneye: In terms of sales? No, not so much. Not yet, anyway haha. We all gotta start somewhere, right? J On the other hand, it has helped greatly over the years, in forging some great friendships and learning so much about the industry eye have found myself in. Eye didn’t know the first thing about anything when eye first met all you people at JEA. Eye tend to stick to myself for the most part, so the online community of writers, as well as my Metal brothers and sisters out there, it’s good to have some contact with the outside world. What new projects can we expect to see from you in the future?Toneye: Eye am well into book 3 of The Sacred Blade Of Profanity series. Eye still don’t know at this point, if it will end as a trilogy, or continue as a series. That’s my main work. Eye have a Werewolf “tail” in the works. Eye may use it as a short story for an antho, but eye will be expanding on it. Also, eye plan to expand on a story eye have coming in RFC3. A story about a man taking revenge on a paedophile ring that had abused his boy. A very brutal short story of merciless torture on its own, but eye can see so much more to it. Not to mention, there are a few anthologies that are needing my attention as well. Eye think eye have my year cut out for me JThanks so much for talking to me, Amanda! It’s been a lot of fun!

Bio: B.C. Lower mainlander since 1992, Joseph has always tinkered with art, music, and writing, choosing to focus primarily on writing in the early 2000s. In 2001, he found out that cars are harder than mountain bikes, and has been a paraplegic ever since, but miraculously, this has not altered his career arc as a quarterback, basketball star, pole-dancer, or kung-fu movie stunt double.

Thankfully he has that whole 'life-long-nerd' thing to fall back on.

With a daughter, Caitlin, born in 2007, and a son, Lachlan, in 2011, free time has become a very valuable asset, and most of it gets poured into writing.

Lifehack isn't just another zombpoc novel, tell us a little about the genesis of this sci-fi take on the zombie invasion. What makes these zombs different?

Well, the book started as a collection of short stories, which I wrote in between drawing my own fanart. I had a tough gal with a tough gun... and I needed something to shoot. I'm fairly pacifistic, and thought of two things you can generally shoot without a lot of guilt. Zombies and robots. The result was more of a goofy skeletal borg, but the notion was refined to microscopic robots (nanotechnology) used to control corpses.

In Lifehack, Jonathan Coll, responsible for it all, doesn't take it overly seriously. They're 'slow zombies', simply out of his preference. They like Hawaiian shirts and plastic pink flamingos. One or two aren't much of a threat, but a thousand or so are trouble... assuming you weren't caught in the initial infection methods used to trigger mass outbreaks. And if the zombies don't get you, Coll has other fun in store.

​Regan is a strong female lead in book one, tell us a bit about her and what you think makes her a solid character to see her world through. What are some of her complexities and strengths?

She's confident and direct (often to a fault) and wears her heart on her sleeve. She's not overly educated, but resourcefulness and being plain stubborn get her through most trouble. When she has a moment, she'll privately break down a bit, be it due to mourning, or just being rejected by the object of her desire.

Also, she's a little broken. Due to the time she spends isolated from humanity part way through the book, her social skills have lost a lot of tact. (Not that she had an abundance beforehand.) Even if her isolation was her own choice, she finds herself desperate to connect to the first human she sees. It makes for awkward introductions.

I see this is a book that gets lauded for a highly interesting plot, memorable characters, great humor and strong romance. How did you work to make these work?

I paid Joss Whedon to write it for me. Nah. I just wrote story progression that suited one mood until a scene came to a moderately satisfying conclusion. Moderately, because I can't go solving problems entirely every few pages. Humour happens. I'm a smart-aleck now and then, and even in life, I have to stop myself from making bad jokes regularly. I let the ones trickle into writing if they're good enough, and don't kill the mood I'm aiming for in that section. Romance? Bah, easy, I fall in love with my characters, and it all works itself out.

Book 2, Watching Yute, is set well after Lifehack and centers around Cassidy another young woman starting her life fresh. It's a smaller story, but still important to the series. How does it differ from book 1?

Book one was action-heavy, and I granted a lot of wishes to the characters. I resolved to see if I could hurt my good guys in meaningful ways. I had a dream... or maybe a daydream? I don't know... of a couple standing nearly-statue-like, backs against each other, in a desert temple bathed in light. The notion struck me as beautiful, so I resolved to challenge myself to destroy it.

That sort of backfired on me... I realized partway through the book that the character doomed to die had the same first name as a friend who had killed herself ten years prior. The book took on some heavy tones of remorse, grieving, and depression. I kept the name for her. I kind of had to. Hard to explain.

Revenge was to be extracted, but not against any faceless zombie horde. Just a couple select fugitives, one of which worked with the technology that had created the zombies. Due to the events of Lifehack, nanotechnology had been banned... but a ban does not erase it's existence.

Echoes of Erebus is book 3 and features a very different lead in Sarah, an advanced being created by a mad scientist. What is she and how does she relate to the other two fem leads?

Her 'father' is Jonathan Coll... or at least what's left of him. He's determined to turn a new leaf, and create something good; Sarah. She is in a way, his meek apology to the world. He builds her psyche out of memories of past victims, her nervous system out of nanites, and her flesh from scavenged fish. Which Coll is very proud to have not killed. Of course, Coll's continued existence, and Sarah's origins are highly illegal.

Coll, and the legacy of his technology is Sarah's link to the world in general. Her encounters with the leads of the prior two books are short... but her encounter with an entity hatched in Watching Yute becomes vital to her ongoing existence in the face of a military set to incinerate her. Which would be a shame, since she's about the only thing capable of stopping the new Coll-inspired threat. It won't be solved by her inhuman strength, or ability to perceive time to be as slow as she needs...

Strong fems are definitely part of your writing, intentional or more organic? What do you think defines a strong female character? Are these things necessarily only true in fem leads or strong characters as a whole?

I make a character who happens to find themselves in positions to overcome. And I happen to often make them female. It's not part of any mandate, I just prefer writing women. For one thing, they can express emotion freely, where a male character might feel unrealistic in doing so. It's a stupid effect caused by society's mentality on it, but there it is. Other than the ease at which I can explore emotion without a character needing to be manly despite it, I write them more or less the same. Strength is strength, smarts are smarts, courage is courage, love is love.

Rubberman's Cage is it's own ballgame, but could it technically have been set in the Lifehack world?

Maybe. I'm deliberately vague about where the Rubberman series takes place. It's a contained society removed from the rest of the world. They know nothing of nanotechnology or any of the history from the Lifehack series. The Rubberman world is technically not science fiction at all, and might not jibe well with the Lifehack world. The Rubberman series is planned for a good handful of books... so who knows?Funfact: For a while, I was entertaining the idea of it being set on Mars... but I couldn't make that happen logically.

This time we're seeing through Lenth's eyes, one of four brothers who seem to be part of a very restricted and experimental environment. What inspired this story and Lenth himself?

I realized that one of my favourite parts of Echoes of Erebus was essentially a 'dungeon crawl'. Lenth's journey is basically one giant dungeon crawl through different small societies, each with their own quirks and levels of ignorance. Another inspiration was my kids' (departed) hamster... he had a lot in common with Lenth. Fed the same food all the time with unknown origins, a controlling force on the other side of a metal grating, life in an enclosed space...

Oh, also worth noting that Lenth is my first book that has a male protagonist...

I created Six as a rival, but given his similarities to Lenth, he served even more to show what Lenth could have become. Anger as opposed to compassion.

This is a much more claustrophobic environment, was it more difficult to work on a smaller stage? Were there a lot of differences between these projects?

As I mentioned before, it's kind if like a giant dungeon crawl. I've been dungeon master enough to be able to plot out sprawling over-worlds, and deep dungeons. The pieces are similar. A safe place, a dangerous place, characters to encounter. The hero does what they can with what they have, be it a salvaged bit of metal sharp on one edge, or an airship with a railgun. Decisions get made, conditions raise questions, risk is assessed, and the hero moves forward. With any luck.

All of these stories have a lot to do with self-discovery and exploration of the world in a changing environment, are these themes you expected to be tackling and do you enjoy them?

As I expose my characters to new things, it can affect them. Change them, ever so slightly, generally for the better. Finding new places, people, or phenomenon forces a person to re-evaluate their notion of the world, and their place in it.Boom. Zombies exist. Now what does Regan do? What's onhand to utilize? How brave does she feel at this moment?Boom, your girlfriend's dead. Now what does Cassidy do? Will anger or despair drive her next move?Boom, you find out you've actually just been created, and you're not twenty years old, you're twenty minutes old.Boom, there's a hole in the universe. Now what does Lenth do? Can he get to the hole? Should he try? What might be out there?As this related to writing, I find that a world that grows, makes the characters grow with them.

Would you say these are political tales (social as much as to do with politics as a whole) or more cautionary tales about how the world could come to be?

My initial point on most stories is a “wouldn't it be cool if...” This often leads to some kind of adventure, and being a people person... well... dealing with people gets involved. This often leads to situations where some kind of ethical stance has to be displayed in one way or another.

Rubberman's Cage has some elements of allegory for the world economy. It has a group of people who don't work, get food easily, and don't have any idea where the things they need really come from. Or care. They think they're superior. Another separate group controls things, another does the work, et cetera.

Some of my books focus on a gay relationship, and portrays them as regular normal behaviour. Because. It never comes into question. I guess that's a bit political of me.

As for any of them being cautionary tales? I don't aim at that... but a well reasoned world's problems will have logical causes. From there, it's just connect the dots.

What other projects are in the works? Anything on the horizon for your readers? any changes in theme?

The next book in the Rubberman series, Rubberman's Citizens takes a closer look at the Citizenry; one of the little societies touched on in Rubberman's Cage. In Cage, we learn that the Citizenry has a dark history, being formerly ruled by what equated to a rape gang. Rubberman's Citizens looks at that history, how they overcame it, and where they go from there. Because of this, it's a notably darker tone than Cage. I don't describe any rapes overly explicitly, but I hope I'm treating the impact of these crimes with due respect.

In the middle of the book is the time when Rubberman's Cage's Lenth shows up. He has a little more impact than he realized during Rubberman's Cage, and the Citizenry will have to decide what to do with the new knowledge he brought .... the Citizens always thought of the 'Messenger' and 'Actual' as being all-powerful...

Bio: A.N. Meade lives deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains with her husband Michael, their two sons, and beautiful daughter. She wrote her first story at the age of five, and has been writing ever since. Writing was her escape. She comes from a Scottish-Celtic ancestry, and that rich heritage of storytelling, creativity, and magic has been a major influence in her life. She is a non-denominational Christian, and those principles of a love of God, family values, and stewardship of the earth, she will strive for always. She sincerely hopes you enjoy reading her books, and that they may provide some moments of entertainment and escape to you.

You're the author of the Marked series, can you tell us a little about how it came to be and why you chose to write it?

It actually started with an impression that I had of Kate sitting by a pond with snow falling all around her. It’s dark, but the moon is so full and bright that it’s easy to see the details of the snow falling around her hair, and to catch the reflection of the knife as it spins. Initially I intended only to write that single scene to get it out of my head, but it went on from there.

This not just another vampire PNR, can you tell us a bit about the world in which Kate lives? Kate lives in modern times, she is at first aware of the paranormal only in her own imagination. She’s very quickly thrust into the thick of things when she chooses to let Marc turn her. In that same moment she decides to live. There are all manner of supernatural beings existing simultaneously with humans. These include Werewolves, Witches, Fey, and Vampires.

Tell us a bit about Kate herself, how is she different than other heroines? What do you like about? What makes her complicated?

Kate is different than other heroines in that she represents a regular woman. She has imperfections, and a dark history. She changes her name in book one, choosing to be called Aimee. This is a very symbolic change that she makes. It’s a way to express the change that she feels inside, and it’s one of the ways that she begins to take her power back. She gets an amazing opportunity, but she has to work to protect herself and those that she loves. Sometimes she’s faced with very difficult choices. I like the struggle inside of her, and I can relate to sometimes not knowing what the right thing is to do in black and white. Life has a lot of gray areas and I think you can see that in Kate’s character. She isn’t purely good, or purely evil, but a very human mix of both.

You also tackle abuse here, what do you think readers can gain form Kate's experiences?

The topic of abuse is always a very difficult one to navigate. Kate experiences this on a few different levels. She is neglected and emotionally abused by her first husband, which drives her into a deep depression. I can’t reveal the other situations without including spoilers, but to speak generally she has also endured physical abuse in the past. This topic is important to me especially because I went through abuse as a child. I think that a lot of women can relate to abuse. Not only is it a topic that deserves more awareness, but it’s something that definitely impacts your character as a person.

What makes your vampire different from others out there? Do you follow some of the tropes or create something new with yours? A little of both? How about the weres and other supernatural being in this series?

I think my vampires are a little bit of the old and the new. I love the old school Dracula version of vampires, but in addition to their ferocity, my vampires can walk in the sun. They stay out of direct sunlight because it burns their skin and hurts their eyes, but they won’t turn into a pile of ash. Also, their circadian rhythm is a little different and most of them sleep during the day and rise at night because they prefer to. The wolves are very different. They’re not poor country people. They’re actually Mafia. They go on monthly corporate retreats when they turn. They can’t speak or walk bipedal while in wolf form. Their wolf form looks like a dire wolf. The witches are interesting in that each coven has its own unique source for their magical ability. Some have ancestral magic, some nature based, or sexual. The Fey are immortal and move between the human and Fey realm. There are also Elves which are mortal but live for centuries, but those don’t get introduced until book 4.

Things get even deeper in book three, more characters are introduced and Kate is tackling some heavy subjects even after surviving the events of Marked and Beauty and the Darkness. Do you think she's grown after everything? Could she still learn from things to come?

I definitely think that she has grown a lot through the events of Marked and Beauty and the Darkness. Rise of the Blood Queen is about her coming into power. She accepts her new role and puts herself full force into it. She has a lot that she can learn though from things to come. In a sense, the easy part is over. She’s claimed her place, but now she will have to fight to keep it. On a personal level, she’s neglected a lot of things that have to be dealt with as well.

What can we expect to read about in book 4? Do you have a title in mind?

Book four is a powerhouse. I hadn’t intended to even start it until the fall or winter, but it started to unfold so quickly in my mind that I had to get it down. The title is going to be Love and War. These are exactly the two topics that are covered. A lot of things that have been threatening on the border come to fruition.

How long do you think the series will be in the end?

I’m not sure how long the series will be in the end. I can definitely see book five and potentially six, and then I’ll just go from there. That may be the end, or I might discover something unexpected and keep going.

Are there any genre tropes you'd like to see addressed in the future? Some that should go over time? Which authors do you think get vampires and PNR right? Some genre tropes that I’d like to see addressed in the future are psychic powers, the vampire-werewolf love triangle. Some I’d like to see continue over the course of the series such as the mad oracle, demonic oppression, and blood magic. There are so many authors in the PNR genre that I think do a fantastic job in their own unique ways. Some of them are: Anne Rice (of course), Annie Nichols, Christine Feehan, Laurell K. Hamilton, H.P. Mallory, Christine Warren, and Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Do you have other ideas in mind along with the Marked series? What might we expect to see from you in the future? Yes! I’d love to do some anthologies with other authors. I also have something that’s about halfway finished that focuses on a Succubus. I’ve got a few more ideas as well, but I’ll keep them to myself… for now.

Bio: Mr. Freeman's first account of writing was in Junior high. He wrote a piece on the Vampire of Dusseldorf. It was a story about a man that took the Dusseldorf children and savagely murdered them for years. This piece got him suspended from school for 3 days because of the graphic nature of the content. He knew then that writing was something he enjoyed. At 15, he embarked on his first book called "COLD AS ICE" about a young boy that was shot in the inner city and confined to a wheel chair. A demon came to him at night and granted him powers to freeze people and shatter them. It was more of a vigilante tale that numbered in the 200 page count category. Now mind you, he could have published this book, but never did because of the rejections at school for things he had written. As it was explained to him, "THE THINGS YOU WRITE ARE TOO GRAPHIC FOR YOUR AGE."

Mr. Freeman discovered he was more in love with the crowd and their reactions to the story being played out on the screen. He knew what he wanted to do from then on. Horror and Film. Mr. Freeman's began his quest by working in the Haunted Attraction industry. Soaking up everything in creature make-up. By 16 he could turn an ordinary person into a horrific, ooze dripping monster that would scare the pants off of anyone that dared come close. Over the next five years he would study the works of Tom Savini, Stan Winston, and Rick Baker. During the course of 1999, Mr. Freeman wrote a film called FELINE that was well received in the competition market. That same year he wrote a trilogy called VAMPYER WAR that followed a half vampire through the war of her species. The Trilogy was optioned by then COLUMBIA/TRI STAR. That event sealed it for him.

Mr. Freeman's knew his writing was rock solid, but he was missing something. He wanted to film his own pictures. The Film Industry optioned up another 2 screenplays, one by Warner Brothers and the other by New Line Cinema in 2000, but Mr. Freeman pulled the projects because they wanted to change the story-lines so much that it wasn't Mr. Freeman's writing anymore. Mr. Freeman left conventional filmmaking and went back to writing for the thrill of writing. He writes every day and still loves it, but he was also laying the ground work to start a production company. Mr. Freeman opened Living Nightmare Publishing in August 2011 to publish his books and January 2015 he started Next Evolution Films. Mr. Freeman is now credited with 6 books, 38 screenplays, 2 short films and a Direct-to-DVD series with other books in the works. He is more than willing to help other writers get their feet wet in the business end of writing and is always looking for talented people to work in film. Mr. Freeman lives in a quiet Missouri Town, where he continues to write and film screenplays.

Let's start with your writing. When did you know you wanted to write and how it would work best for you?I think the first thing I really wrote and shared with people was in Decatur Illinois, Douglas McArthur Junior High. I wrote a very small piece with a comic strip on how racism was thriving within the school. The piece had a comic picture with it that had a student hanging from a swastika while the rest of the student body looked on pointing and laughing. My editor read the piece and understood that it was not intended to be derogatory to anyone in the student body, but rather a piece to bring to light that the hate groups of the school where still, in fact, bullying people of different races. I wanted to be their voice since most where too scared to stand up for themselves at that time. This piece launched a fire-storm within the whole student body and staff. Bringing to light the ugly truth that the school covered up got me in hot water with the school system and I didn't really care. I knew those that where being wronged should not have to deal with these problems along with puberty and the awkwardness of the life changes happening at the time. I thought then that I wanted to go into Journalism. I saw how it evoked a series of raw emotion in people and how it could affect the outcome of something so bad and perhaps make it right. Unfortunately, I was removed from the school paper and spent a month in ISS (in school suspension). Later that year my family moved away from Decatur and I was in a new school. There I focused on writing a piece for a project given by the English Teacher. We was supposed to write a story about something past or present in the news. I began digging right in and found out about the Vampire of Dusseldorf. In that piece I found a niche. I embellished the graphic nature of the crimes, painting a vivid picture of the crimes this man did. I watched my teacher read the 10 page paper and witnessed the horror spread across her face as she read through the ficticious/non-ficticious papers. I felt a sense of joy knowing that my writing was evoking such a range of emotion. Of course, I was suspended from school for awhile for this paper. Got a B on it, but the content was not age appropriate for this grade. I took the time and began to write ideas and short stories. Then it happened, that one moment in your life that changes everything. Wes Craven released Nightmare on Elm Street. I snuck in and watched this movie with excitement. When I left the theatre I wanted to know how to make people jump out of their seats or scream in terror over something on a screen. I joined the Jaycees Haunted house as a creature creator. I would watch from the catwalk as people would literally pee their pants because of a creature I made. Satisfaction. How did you make the transition from fiction to film? How long did you have to study to get to a point you felt grounded in?

The transition from fiction to film started while I was working at Slaughter House in Nashville. My first project that I wanted to see in film was COLD AS ICE (ACTION/HORROR) about a boy that witnessed the murder of his parents by the mob, leaving him paralyzed from the incident. The boy summoned a demon that granted him the powers to freeze people and shatter them, sending their souls to hell. Technology had not caught up to the world of film just yet, so I put the project down and began the VAMPYER WAR (ACTION ADVENTURE) Trilogy. I wrote the whole book series then the screenplays. The idea tanked with Hollywood execs, only to have BLADE come out 10 years later and smash the box office. I was pretty mad.What was your first professional film and how did things go? Do you think you learned anything with the movie? Did it influence later projects?

My first attempt at a professional film was FELINE (HORROR). It was a film about a woman possessed by a cat demon and I began filming it in the late 90s. How did it go? Well filming started out pretty good, but my main actor decided to cheat on his wife with an extra while his wife was the main character of the story. I had a scene come up where the wife was supposed to hit him with a car. The scene was set to have the car move 5 miles per hour and him jump up on the hood and roll off, then we would speed up the scene in post. The wife knew about his little indiscretion and hit him at 25 miles per hour, breaking both legs and getting her thrown in jail. PRODUCTION STOPPED. I walked completely away from film and writing after this. I was depressed and mad all at the same time. You were optioned for film projects with Columbia/Tristar for NECRO in 1999, and then Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema for two other screenplays in 2000. What did you take away from those experiences? After a 2 year break from it all, I opened my word processor and wrote NECRO (HORROR), CRAVE (HORROR), EVOLVE (HORROR), and THE RAGGEDY MAN (HORROR) all over a 4 month period. I queried and submitted synopsis for these screenplays and got hits on 3 of them. I was excited to see my writing come to life on the screen, until I got the re-writes from staff writers at these companies. The stories had changed so much that they were not even mine anymore. I offered to do re-writes myself, but was denied the opportunity. The biggest thing I took away from "THE SUITS" , as I call them, is that they were sharks preying on a little independent guy that they thought knew nothing about film. I pulled my projects from pre-production and began a long journey to learn every aspect of film from each job through distribution.Do you think you would ever consider working with major studios if the opportunity came up again?

I actually have two out to Warner Brothers right now. They have 45 days to give me a decision on them. I just have terms and they are considering those terms. I retain all the rights to the written aspect of the film and they get a 40% filming right. These terms are non-negotiable and they know me enough by now that I won't play their cat and mouse games. I will pull the projects and film them myself. I am also trying to get a deal with NETFLIX STUDIOS on the upcoming VIRUS K series and the negotiations have not been answered as of yet. If they decline, then I will take it to Network and Amazon Streaming.How do the traditional and indie markets differ in filmmaking practices? What are the advantages of each? The negative aspects?The biggest differences in Indie Film and Traditional film are People and Money. Indie film requires people to intern more and the use of no name actor/actresses. Though that is a benefit for those looking to get into the industry, it has drawbacks. An Indie Actor/Actress can get their name out there and maybe land a big budget role that will launch them, but they have to be with the right indie company that works the film fest market. As for Money. I have built my editing computer to where big houses have rooms of computers for editing. I use a DSLR Camera that is around $1,600.00 while big houses use the RED at a staggering $48,000.00. I splurged and got a Sony Vegas to edit with just so I could get the same look that you can get with the RED. The other drawback is, as an Indie Filmmaker, you have to know every aspect and job involved in filmmaking because on most days you have to wear all of those hats.You've since created your own production company in 2015. Next Evolution Films and are at work on the film TWISTED, THIN LINE, DAY OF THE DEAD, and the series VIRUS K how have things been progressing? TWISTED (THRILLER) is ready for filming. I believe we will be shooting this weekend and next weekend for it. THIN LINE (ACTION) is in the casting phase. I am almost done there. DAY OF THE DEAD (HORROR) is in casting and location scouting. VIRUS K (HORROR/DRAMA) is still in the writing phase. What can we expect to find in your short films?

My short films…. VOICEMAIL (DRAMA) was a challenge offered by a film fest to shoot the whole thing from a cell camera. I used a Samsung Galaxy S 3 for the entire film. I composed the music, live acting, directed, wrote the script, and my wife did the voice over work. Voicemail focuses on never being promised tomorrow with the ones we love. RIPPLE EFFECT (DRAMA) Was filmed with the DSLR and shot against greenscreen for some of the scenes. There is a Behind the scenes to that one on Youtube that explains a lot. I wrote, Directed, acted, edited, lighting for that film. With voice overs done by my wife and son. Ripple Effect focuses on the after effects of drinking and driving.You finished 106th of 1300 in the MYRODEREEL 2015 Film Competition, what was the competition like? Which project earned you that rank?

Ripple Effect finished 106th in the MyRodeReel 2015. The competition was grueling and getting votes was the worst part of it. Self promotion is a task I am not so good at. I find that I would rather film it and if someone likes it, then my job is done. You're currently working on the TV Series Virus K, Short film Twisted (entered into the Stage 32 film Competition) in London, England, and the feature length Day of the Dead. How do you feel about these projects? Can you tell us a bit about them? Twisted I really can not discuss at this time. The competition is all about discretion so that people can try to figure it out before the ending. Virus K is about an alien strain of DNA getting into child immunizations and spread. There will be several storylines going at once, spread across the US. Day of the Dead is a Voodoo tale that focuses on the kidnapping and possession of children.​You've managed many accomplishments in your life and career, not only do you write and direct but you're also an Ordained Minister in several faiths and identify with a Multi-Faith belief structure. Can you tell us about these ​and your work with them?

It's simple. We all share and live on this planet no matter how we got here. I don't believe one faith is more important to anyone over another. My thought is a Multi-faith church where people of all faiths can go, do their service, then meet in a main hall and have open discussions on whatever without all the judgment and demeaning comments to one another.

What are some other projects in writing and directing as well as in your everyday life you hope to achieve or finish within the next year or so? Any major goals you're hoping to complete that we haven't already talked about?

I am working with Joseph Gordon Levitt on a graphic novel that I hope to have illustrated before the end of the year. I have a book that I need to finish up called FAWN. It is a werewolf tale with a twist. I am wanting to get into a bigger studio. And I have some small projects going for festivals that will be available at the first of the year. I also have another series that is incubating in my head, I just need to work out the logistics of it and see where it could fall on the genre scale. 7th CIRCLE (HORROR) in option at Warner Brothers Pictures. STRYCHNINE (ACTION/SCI FI/HORROR) in Optione at Warner Brothers Pictures. And in my everyday life… I want to do a haunted attraction in October and maybe get some sleep.

Biography: Brian Barr is an American author. He also writes under the pseudonym of Aghori Shaivite. He writes novels, short stories, and comic books. Brian has been published in Autumn Burning, Inanna Rising, and other anthologies. Brian collaborates with another writer, Chuck Amadori, on the comic book series Empress, along with Pencil Blue Studios, Brazilian artist Marcelo Salaza, and colorist Vicki Pittman, for the art. His first two novels, Carolina Daemonic and Psychological Revenge, will be published by J. Ellington Ashton Press in 2015.

You have a new book coming out from JEA called Carolina Daemonic, Book I: Confederate Shadows, can you tell us a little about it?Carolina Daemonic is set in the Carolinas, during an alternative timeline where the Confederate South won the Civil War. The Carolinas are combined as one Confederate state and are no longer North and South Carolina. Slavery was ended in the late 20th century, segregation about two decades after that. The British Empire is still around under the name of Victoria, continuing to own Hong Kong and India among other territories. The Chinese Empire still exists, has a hostile relationship with Japan, and has a working relationship with the Confederacy. The story has a lot of magic from a variety of cultures, demons, and undead creatures that are quite unique. I can't call them vampires, or zombies... they're something completely different altogether, my own entity, and I can't wait to unleash them on the world.Confederate Shadows is the first book in this series.I started writing the book in Brighton, England. The city was just so cool and beautiful, it brought this book out of me... a book that linked back to home, thousands of miles away.This book is set in a dystopian future where the confederates won the civil war, did you have to do a lot of research into the war and life then for your book?I did have to do a good amount of research, mostly on individuals I use in the book, but a lot of facts I refer to are things I learned long before writing Carolina Daemonic. Figures like Paschal Beverly Randolph that appear in my book, I read a biography on him years ago. I remembered details I learned about the Civil War in high school. Since the book deals with a great deal of occult topics, I researched different things about esotericism to apply to my characters and give background information to the magic appearing in the book.From my life, there are definitely influences. Living in South Carolina, this state is a huge influence, some locations, the look of environments, the feel. I've met many people reminiscent of characters in the book. The book deals with a lot of extreme differences in cultures, extreme views, and more moderate views, acceptable views. A lot of political influences have also come from documentaries I've watched.I was also lucky to have an editor that knew a lot about the Civil War, and he knew how to make sure things were accurate and believable. His name is Michael Fish Fisher a great writer. If you ever get a chance, check out DC's Dead, a cool zombie novel mixed with Michael's knowledge of DC and club scenes he knows inside and out. He has a great sense of humor, too.It’s also a blend of horror, urban fantasy, steampunk and the occult, Could you tell us a bit about how you came up with it and how you came to add these elements?I went on a trip to England during 2013, mostly staying in the Northeast but traveling to the South as well. The entire isle really fascinated me, being in Lancaster and Blackpool, all these places that have a great mix of old architecture and new architecture. Seeing houses made in the 1600s, it made me think about where I live, South Carolina, and how there aren't as many old establishments like I saw in England. I thought about the places in the Carolinas where I've probably seen the oldest locations I could remember, and I instantly thought of Charleston. Charleston still has some streets that are made of cobblestone like I saw in Lancaster, and old slave markets still hanging around, serving as art galleries and other establishments. You can see a cannon still hanging out near the beach, around those old ports.Seeing those old places and thinking of Victorian England made me think of steampunk. I knew little about it besides a lot of influence coming from Jules Verne, and I got curious about it. I googled steampunk and the first name that came up was China Mieville. That's when I found out about Perdido Street Station and bought a copy from Waterstones. It was a hefty book, and a challenge, but it blew my mind. I had also read a bit of Shelly's Frankenstein, which inspired me, and I thought about a steampunk world in the Carolinas. The Civil War is still a heavy part of Carolina history, so I became curious about doing an alternative history novel where the South won, every Confederate lover's fantasy. I always loved occult fiction, and have added occult elements in my stories before, so the novel was definitely going to have occult elements. I mainly wanted to set the story in Charleston, and Columbia, so the magic and the cityscape brought the urban fantasy element to the game.Also, I love dark elements and horror. I grew up in a horror household, so I knew I wanted to through horror into the gumbo. When I was in high school, I read Clive Barker's The Great and Secret Show. It changed my life, because I always liked fantasy, and horror, but he's a guy that just naturally bridges the fantastic and the horrific together. That's what I do.

Featuring some very diverse characters here, can you tell us a bit about these characters and what you like about them? Oh yes. This book has a huge cast. The main character is Titus. He's a black bisexual engineer that works for a mainly steam based technology corporation. Philosophically, he's a multiculturalist and very progressive. He thinks out of the box of his cultural surroundings and even his background, which I love.Wei is also a major character. She's a concubine visiting the Confederacy for the Emperor of China, meeting with a major corporation, OrbTech, which holds a monopoly on technology, food produce, and other markets around the world, especially in the Confederacy. She's my favorite character. She's very honest and calls out bullshit. She stands up against tyrants, and she's very intelligent.Zevulun Khodhorov is another important character in Carolina Daemonic, and perhaps the most mysterious. He's a Russian Jewish Kabbalist from 19th Century Charleston. He was one of many magicians commissioned by the Union to combat Confederate magicians and use his occult knowledge to assist Union soldiers as well. I can't reveal too much about him other than he's a bad ass at magic and very heroic. Along with his heroism and occult wisdom, I love how he faces his challenges head on. He's very pragmatic with his magic and thinks through situations carefully. None of the characters are one hundred percent likable, but many of them are easy to hate. I have racist cult leaders, both black and white, and I address human hatred from sexism, racism, homophobia, and even religious discrimination. I write the book without upholding anyone as hero or villain in an outright fashion because I wanted to get into the mindsets of these different types of people, see what makes them tick, why they hate, and why it's so logical for them to hate.This is the first in a series, how many more do you think there might be with it? Have you started the next book?I have started the next book. It continues and builds up on the intensity from the first book. The second book is called Rebel Hell. The third book will be called Heritage of Hate.I'm not setting a number of books to the series because I want to make sure I connect the dots as I go. I do know there will be a minimum of three books. The main goal I'm setting for myself is to not rush to an end and make sure I tie up as many ends in the book series as possible. I'm working to make Carolina Daemonic a very complex work with a lot of detail and characters, so I want to be cautious in making everything flow and fit.After reading Tad William's Otherland, which became one of my favorite books, I was impressed how well he tied up the story. It's four volumes, filled with material, but he worked to address everything. Best writer I've ever read, along with maybe R. R. Martin. That's how I want to write, especially with books with multiple volumes.Psychological Revenge is also with JEA, can you tell us a bit about this book?Psychological Revenge is the first Super Inc. novel. Super Inc. is a crusader team I came up with, living in a dystopian future. I was inspired a few years ago by Pheonix Jones, this MMA fighter that became a real life superhero in Seattle. I thought it was fun, so I wanted to create a crusader team that existed in a future where vigilantism was outlawed and crusaders had to be registered by the government.Super Inc. is made up of 5 heroes. In Psychological Revenge, they have to apprehend two criminals- Principal Mind and Brain Surgeon. Brain Surgeon is an alien that feeds on the energy that radiates from people's brains. Principal Mind is a telekinetic misanthrope that has been hiding from the same government that used to experiment on him as a child. Brain Surgeon tries to feed on Principal Mind's brain matter and a rivalry ensues between the villains. The Super Inc. race against time to capture the villains before they kill each other and anyone else around them.Super Inc. shows the softer, campier side of Brian Barr, way less heavy and more pulp than Carolina Daemonic. I love writing silly escapist fiction as much as I like writing serious stuff. I grew up being a big Batman fan. The 60's show, the cartoon, etc. I like the dark stuff, and I like the goofy stuff as well. I was a big comics fan, liked X-Men, The Maxx, etc. I also love Watchmen, Dr. Who, The Avengers from the 60s. Some modern comic book writers hate cornball camp in comics and try to distance themselves away from it in this elitist way. I embrace it, from the cliche troupes to the slapstick humor. Psychological Revenge isn't really a comedic novel, and it's quite serious for being a pulp fiction/comic influenced novel, but it's not Dostoevsky or Masterpiece Theatre. It's meant to be fun.Psychological Revenge is more sci-fi than Carolina Demonic, do you often write in multiple genres?Yes. I love to write in different genres, mostly speculative. I never want to be regulated to writing only one kind of book. I got to have diversity.Which character was your favorite in the book, The Brain Surgeon or Principle Mind?Principle Mind. I sympathize with him more. Both are villains, and both have their reasons for being evil or doing evil things. Principle Mind just has better reasons. His childhood and circumstances have hurt him to the point that he is a recluse. He just wants to be alone, but he has so much rage. He feels wronged by society and thirsts for vengeance.Brain Surgeon only thinks about one thing: food. Unfortunately, our brains are on the menu.How did you come up with the pseudonym Aghori Shiavite? Do you use it for any particular projects? Does it pose any trouble using multiple writing names?I randomly came up with the name years ago when I joined art forums. I came up with it because I wanted to write dark, weird stories and the Aghoris, a group of Indian Hindu holy men in India, are legendary for having dark, weird rites that turn off even a lot of Hindus. It was just a handle I had fun with. I never thought I would do anything serious with it, like publish books or comics. It served me well for fun, and I publish under it from time to time, but now I'm comfortable publishing under my real name. The only time it poses problems is every now and then, publishers don't know which name to publish a story under. That's resolved quickly after they ask me, just to make sure. I usually like to use the pen name for some comic projects or super weird and goofy stories.You’re in several anthologies at JEA as well, can you tell us which ones and which stories were your favorite ones to write for them?I am in Autumn Burning and Inanna Rising, both of which have been published. I'm also in a metal anthology that will be republished from JEA.I'm in lots of books that will be coming from JEA pretty soon: Under the Bridge, Fearotica, Weird New England Fiction, Cherry Nose Nightmares, Lost Gods and Forgotten Cities.. so many! My favorite story I wrote so far is Dead Woman's Hand in Inanna Rising, an anthology based on strong female characters, warriors and heroines. Dead Woman's Hand is an occult horror story, starring a swashbuckling female Taino pirate who survived Columbus's genocide of the native people of Hispanola and a Haitian Voodoo priestess. The short story is just one of many historical occult horror short stories I wrote connecting to the Carolina Daemonic story line. I plan on releasing a collection of Carolina Daemonic short stories one day entitled Daemonic I, then maybe a II, or how many more, depending on how many shorts I write for it. The short stories I wrote for Carolina Daemonic have formed a lot of the background and history for the novel series, so it's pretty complex.

My second favorite story is in Autumn Burning, a Halloween horror anthology. I wrote a story called Song of the Hallow Saints, a sword and sorcery tale set in Ireland on Samhain.

You also work on the comic Empress, how did you get involved with comics? How is it different working on them versus writing novels nad short stories/ Do you prefer any one of these three things?I got involved in comics a little over half a decade ago. My friend, Matt Rowe, used to do an underground LGBT punk zine called Fag Mag. He would write stories, narratives, do art, all sorts of things in these zeroxed booklets. He inspired me, because I had stopped drawing and writing for years after high school in some lame attempt to grow up. Seeing him be creative for the sake of loving it, being DIY... I realized that was what I needed to do, my own art, my own writing, for fun. I started a comic called Serpent King, about an alien mystic named Zian Ur. He's half reptilian, half djinn. After creating Serpent King, I haven't looked back since. I love doing comics and I did a disservice to myself leaving them alone for so long.For comics, I have to write scripts. I collaborate with an artist, and have to write a good story, but give the artist enough creative license for him to add to the story with pictures.For novels and short stories, I get to be more descriptive than with comics. I have to paint the pictures with my words. Novels allow me to build a bigger story over time, but short stories challenge me to tell a concise but entertaining story with less words. I love writing all three, but I may like short stories a little more than comics due to the responsibility of being more descriptive and visual with words. I like novels the most of all because you have to do so much to tie everything together, keep track of everything, and there's more you can fit into a novel. It can be as short or as long as you want. Comics can be any length, but its common to have 22 pages or 48 pages, set page limits where you have to decide how you tell a story and how much you'll fit in that space. The thing I love the most out of the comics that I don't get from the novels and short stories is the collaboration. It's amazing seeing what an artist does with your work, and I love working with another author, seeing the ideas they come up with as well. I write Empress with Chuck Amadori and he's an amazing writer. Best comic writer I've met so far. He knows how to create characters, how to build mystery, and he loves what he does. He doesn't just do an explosion here and put a prostitute there because it's 'extreme'. I met a few comic book writers who are more obsessed with building their resume or using people as stepping stones to get to the top of Mt. Everest. They'll write in a genre just because it is popular and it will get them fans, not out of a love of writing. They're more businessmen than creators, which is fine because I think there should be a balance, but I'm more about the creativity than bland business. It's my nature.A writer once told me I should write "mainstream comics" just to get more attention, whatever that means. He meant well, but it was bad, sell out advice for me. I would like my audience to be people that really like what I do as an individual, not people I fool into liking my stuff because I write some fake story I'm not even into writing. I write the type of stories I want, and Chuck is the same way. That's why Empress is so unique, and the other comic titles Chuck writes under his IsleSquaredComics, from Pale Dark to Tether, are some of the most unique comics I've read in a long time. They come from stories he cares about, and nurtured over time, not something he looked at the New York Bestseller list and said "Ah, ha! I'll write a mimic of #1 today!" He inspires me to write better, to do my best. I'm a better writer from working with Chuck on Empress.What other projects do you have going and hope to see out in the next year or so? I am writing a Serpent King novel, a second Super Inc. novel, and a second Carolina Daemonic novel. I hope that one of those will be done within the next twelve months. I'm working on tons of short stories, and pushing those out often. Empress is on issue 5, and we started publishing less than a year ago. At that rate, I think we can get to Empress 10 before the end of July 2016.

Bio: Kat Doughty is a mom to four active boys, which is why she needs a fantasy world or two to escape to on a regular basis. When she's not busy writing, taking photos or trying to keep her children alive, she is probably hiding in the pantry.

To the Dark is a romantic fantasy novel about a girl who figures she has her life all figured out until it all gets challenged by another group of students who she's always been told are too dark to associate with. Tell us a bit about the genesis of the book?

I came up with the idea when I was working as a maid in a German hotel. I was 19, a girl with a recognizable Eastern European accent and, although my German was pretty decent at that time, I was finding it hard, if not impossible, to move past the maid job. So, while I was changing bed sheets and scrubbing bathrooms for sixteen hours a day, I was thinking about social norms and expectations and making up little stories for myself. The book is what eventually came out of one of those.

The Dark Ones are a group of people that handle the magic of this world differently than those in Lucianna's side of their world. Could you tell us a bit about the differences?

In short, the Dark Ones are based on Gypsies. They are wilder, more aggressive and a little more physical in all directions than the mainstream people would like them to be. They don’t necessarily do the same type of civilization as the rest of the world and the idea is that keeping closer to the primal part of their heritage is what makes their magic stronger. At the same time, if you have that much more power, there have to be checks in place, so they had to develop a strict structure and clear expectations to prevent the rest of the society from hunting them down. The White Ones are more or less your stereotypical middle class white folks from somewhere in the 50’s, set on their way of life. Many of them understand the system is flawed, but for some reason the bullies who preach supremacy of one group over another always seem to be the loudest.

Lucianna is a very together girl until it all gets shaken up. Even when she has doubts, she tries to keep things handled. Did you base her on anyone? Would you have done things differently than she did under the circumstances?

I think a lot of people (including myself) are living in their happy little box, largely unaware of things that go on outside of it. There was a girl from Brazil in one of my German classes who was telling us stories about the life in Brazil and, in her mind, it was all about the beach, good food and dancing. Incidentally, the older lady in the seat next to me was also from Brazil and at the end she turned to me and said in a quiet voice, “I know where she is from. It’s a rich area and she is too young to know any better. She hadn’t seen the homeless and the poor before she left for Germany. That’s not the place I am from or how my family lives.” I think she just wanted to share with someone without calling the other girl out, but it scared me. It made me wonder if I was living in a dream world myself. It’s not that I come from a rich family or an affluent area, yet I was always taken care of and never had to worry that I would be hurt or killed if I left the house. At nineteen I took a lot of it for granted, mostly because I didn’t know any different. Lucianna is how I imagined it would feel to be dragged outside of that cushy place and, in a way, was a promise to myself that even if couldn’t relate directly, I would always remember to think of those whose boxes were more like cold and drafty death row cells. I’d like to think that were that me, I’d do what needed to be done instead of falling to pieces. Even for Lucianna, things could have gotten much worse, but the reality is that I am lucky enough to be still sitting in that happy little box, so I am hesitant to make any promises.

James is a very strong male lead who plays off of Tate's personality, both are dominant men in many ways, but they show that in different ways. How would you respond to them if you were in Lucianna's shoes?

Ha, that’s a tricky question. Tate is meant to be a jerk who really only wants to get some. He plays nice for a while, but that doesn’t change who he is. Personally, I am not that good at following directions and I’d most likely get fed up way before Lucianna did. James is more of a Prince Charming sort of guy. If you can find me one of those, I’ll happily let him play the boss since I would know he always made the right decisions (by which I mean decisions I would make myself). The problem is that most human males lack the ability to read my mind and are therefore completely useless in that sense. I think I’ll stick with my husband, who is neither Tate nor James, but a genuinely nice guy who tries his best to make me happy. In my experience, both Tate and James kind of guys end up being jerks, even if they don’t mean to be.

To The Dark has a very nice drawn out romance, can you tell us a bit about it and working on creating the build-up?

I am not sure I can at this point! The final version is stitched from bits and pieces that I played with over the years. I remember there being a solitary tower on a cliff at one point and Lucianna making slaves out of the village people before James returned, but the story has been in my head for so long I was mostly just writing it down in a way that made sense. The Dark Ones also used to be telepaths early on and the concept of Trial was very vague until they made Lucianna’s daughter go on one despite the fact that she had no magic whatsoever… Turns out there is a lot of time to make up stories when you are a manual laborer. What I am trying to say - don’t look to me for answers as to what I did from literary perspective. For some reason it seemed impossible for me to work on anything else until I got this book out, so that’s exactly what I did.

Can you tell us a bit about The First Singers, your next book? Do you have anything else in the works or soon to come out?

I am very excited about The First Singers! It’s a dystopian trilogy (I am pretty sure you re not allowed to write a dystopian story without it being a trilogy) about an eighteen year old girl who is about to go on a sort of rite of passage chase that would take her to a life of luxury at the fabled Island. The downside is that if she gets caught, she’ll end up being a part of the food chain of the Caretakers, humanoids who are in control of the survivors of the human race. I am currently in the finishing stages of the second book and so far it’s going well, I think. I am waiting to hear on a short fantasy story and there are several other books already lined in my head that I only hope to get to at some point in the future.

Bio: Christina Engela - also known as Chrissy, 'T' or Tina, and by several other names in various communities and subcultures, both online and offline, has always been something of a lurker in the grand scheme of things. Being of the INTJ 'mastermind' persuasion tends to have that effect on people who speak less, and observe and write more. Looking considerably younger than her age also tends to result in people misjudging and underestimating her, usually to their peril. She writes in the science-fiction/fantasy genre, and has already 8 complete novels to her name. Her Galaxii Series was picked up by J Ellington Ashton Press (JEA) in August 2014, and the first title in the series, 'Blachart' was re-released by JEA on Oct 29, 2014. The rest are due out starting in 2015.She has quite a lot of diverse experience to draw upon in her writing, having been a soldier with the South African Army for 17 years - with all the diverse experience such service brings. She has been a human rights activist, being at the head of two South African LGBT civil rights groups (for a time concurrently) since 2008 and until 2011. She presently heads one LGBT rights group (SA GLAAD) and is a member of the Executive of the South African Pagan Rights Alliance (SAPRA). She is a strong defender of freedom of religion, separation of religion and state interests, and also the right to freedom from religion.She indulges in research into alternative religions, lifestyles and subcultures, and as Chief Researcher for the Alternative Religions Forum (ARF) she has rubbed elbows with Christians, Jews, Muslims, Freemasons, Satanists, Luciferians, Pagans, Witches, Vamp(y)ires, Goths and Emos - and other people marginalized and persecuted in South Africa's recent love affair with Satanic Panic Hysteria.Between 2009 and 2010 she got her feet wet in local politics, being Secretary for three local councils and committees at once - almost becoming a candidate Ward Councilor for a local party during the 2010 municipal elections for her area in the process. After that she bowed out, ending her 2-year involvement - fortunately without getting any dirt under her fingernails.Christina is the proud owner of a warped sense of humor, and it shows. She writes about aliens, space ships, big explosions – and crypts, ghosts and vampires – in the same books and in a way that makes all of these topics fit with each other without causing a melt-down or an inter-dimensional rift. Surprisingly, she says she writes from experience. She also enjoys sushi.

1. You’re the author of a great sci-fi series you’ve been working on for several years and have started publishing with JEA, could you tell us a little bit about it?The Galaxii Series is set in what might be considered the not too distant future, perhaps in a parallel dimension, and is marked by my own special warped and twisted sense of humor and irony. It also includes some elements of the fantasy genre, such as vampires (which show up in some of the short stories and the later titles, which are still in process).

It started out with 'Blachart' and 'Demonspawn' - both already released by JEA, with the third title 'Dead Beckoning' already in for edits and due for release sometime this year. There are still loads of titles coming, and some of my fans from the pre-JEA days will remember titles like 'Loderunner', 'Dead Man's Hammer', 'Black Sunrise' and 'The Time Saving Agency' - and others I'm still working on, all to be released in due course. Yes, I'm just as impatient!

2.What makes your series different from the others out there? What are its quirks?I'd have to say: "me!" Every writer is a unique person, and every unique person brings their own uniqueness to the stories they write, to the worlds they create. If you look at me as an individual, aside from the LGBT angle, aside from all the eccentricity haha - there is the detail in the stories that they are set in a sci-fi future with space ships, aliens and interplanetary travel - AND vampires, and a little comedy - and who knows what else? I am the quirk in my stories!3. Some of your humor and style can be compared to Douglas Adams of Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame, would you agree with that assessment? What authors inspire you?I would have to list Douglas Adams among my influences, yes. I am a very strong fan of Terry Pratchett, who died earlier this year - a huge loss to the literary world - huge. Also I have to mention writers like Tom Sharpe, Tom Holt, Esther Freisner and James Blish, who used to write the original Star Trek episode from script into anthologies of short stories in the 1970's. Of course, I grew up reading sci-fi greats like Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, Harry Harrison and others too numerous to mention.4.Tell us about a few of your favorite characters in the series. Do you share anything in common with them?Mykl d'Angelo, the main character in 'Blachart' is probably the first one. He's a typical straight ‘good-guy’ hero type, who gets the girl and settles down and lives happily ever after… Although I wanted to be this, I never was, and so Mykl represents the ‘me’ that was and wanted to be, aspired to be – but never materialized. Mykl d’Angelo was essentially a character based on the person I was when I was in high school - which is when I started writing this story!

The characters on the planet Deanna are my more likely favorites. People like Cindy-Mei Winter, Beck the Badfeller, Peg (the Sheriff of Atrocity), General Smythe and his band of misfits from the Skegg's Valley dynamite fishing club, and of course, Fred - who all start making their appearances from about title 4 onward.5.Do you write in other genres? Non-fiction? If so, what topics do you like to write about?Yes I do. For many years I've been an activist for LGBT equal rights, not just in South Africa, but also abroad on the great equalizer, the internet! As such I wrote over 500 articles for an activist blog between 2008 and 2012, which were shared and re-used and linked to by various other international human rights advocacy bodies around the world. Since 2013 I became more active in advocacy for freedom of religion, and part-wrote, part-compiled a 600 page tome intended to dispel what is called 'satanic panic hystera' called 'Satanism: the Acid Test'.

Many scholars and academics - and numerous religious 'experts' have written around this topic for decades, but few if any have ever consulted with actual participants in various subcultures covered by the book directly - which is something that I did personally. As a result, not only did this book receive support and recognition from academics, but also lists the occult societies and organizations in subcultures discussed in the book who have given their approval of the content. This is something which, to my understanding, has never been done before.

This item has been sent out via email to numerous human rights organizations around the world, including the UN, and has received formal recognition from a modest listing of academics and scholars and human rights advocates - and represents, for now, the crowning glory in my research writing achievements.

6.You’re an outspoken advocate for many and aren’t afraid to say what needs to be said on many things, what made you stand up and speak out?I despise injustice and unfairness. Something in me has always wanted to set things right, rush in where angels fear to tread and to come to the aid of those in trouble. Perhaps it's my Aquarian nature, but I simply can't sit by and watch injustice in action. 7.Do your books allow you to address some of these political and social issues?Absolutely. In most of my stories I use gay or transgender characters. Not always as the lead character, but where I feel it would be fitting or fun, I do. In stories like 'Black Sunrise', 'Dead Man's Hammer' and one or two others, there is a present transgender theme with at least one lead character, but I don't feel it prevents readers who don't understand transgender issues from enjoying the story. At least two of my lead characters in Blachart and Demonspawn are gay, and in 'The Last Hurrah' there is a strong lesbian character.

When I do write about social issues I try hard not to hit the reader over the head with the issues - but I do try to reflect how gay or transgender people are not as different from 'ordinary folk' as they might think! My stories are more about typical human problems, and more about unifying society than separating people because of their differences.

8.You also have a children’s anti-bullying books coming out. Tell us a bit about it.Yes, I can hardly wait to see this one! A friend told me about her friends little girl who is transgender and going through some difficulties at school. She mentioned that the only kind of children's books that addressed bullying she could get for her were books that harped on the things that made LGBT kids different from other kids, and she asked me to write a children's story about the subject taking a more reconciliatory approach. I think, combined with the beautiful illustrations, this story will touch lives and make a positive difference in a lot of little kids lives.

9.You’ve taken part in a few anthos at JEA, Inanna was about strong women and Autumn Burning was a Halloween themed antho, what other anthos can we expect to see you in this year?I've entered short stories into the running for a few JEA anthologies this year! I haven't heard yet if 'Midnight Station' is appearing yet in 'All That Remains', but I do know that 'Beyond' is coming out in 'For Love of Leelah' very soon. I might have another story appearing in either 'Against The Grain' or 'Fearotica' as well.10. For Love of Leelah is an anthology being put out by JEA in honor of Leelah Alcorn and intended to raise money for disadvantaged LGBT kids who are at risk, how do you feel about taking part?When I first joined JEA I was very happy to see how accepting and open-minded everyone is! Not just the staff, but the other writers as well. When Leelah's death made the news, it was extremely touching to have my publisher make public statements of support for the transgender community - of which I am a part. The announcement of the anthology was for me far more than just a chance to submit a short story and to get my name out there as a writer, but it was a gesture that reached inside of me, as a human being, as an activist, and as a transwoman. I'm hugely honored as well to have been asked to write the foreword for the Leelah anthology. Thank you!

11.What would you like to see being done to help kids like Leelah and others who aren’t being allowed to have a voice?I've always said, education and information is the key. People hate what they fear, and they fear what they don't understand. When you give them the right information you dispel the ignorance and break the vicious circle of ignorance, fear, and persecution. That's why I've always been open about who and what I am as a transwoman. If people ask questions, I give them everything they want to know. Afterwards, they aren't so ignorant anymore. Haha!

Understanding is very important for LGBT people - but most especially when they are children. People tend to forget that children are the most brutally and plainly honest human beings. It's very important that society reaches out to, identifies and embraces children in the LGBT spectrum, to very early one give them self-acceptance that help them to grow into strong healthy adults. It's also important to encourage and educate non-LGBT children to understand what sexual orientation and gender identity ARE as concepts, and to foster caring environments in order to minimize bullying.

12.Are there any other books and projects we can expect to see form you this year? How about in the next few years? 'Dead Beckoning' is due to come out this year still, and I'm not sure if the fourth title will still make it out this year, but anything could happen haha. I still have at least another five previously self-published titles to follow, and a few new ones in various stages of completion.